The good news for the Detroit Red Wings is that the Philadelphia Flyers lost again.

The bad news is a former teammate is a big reason the Wings now have three teams ahead of them in the race for the last wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

The Wings (37-31-8, 82 points) have six games left, starting with Sunday's matinee against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have won four of their last six games to reach 79 points with five games remaining.

The Wings received a measure of help Saturday night from the Columbus Blue Jackets, who handed the Flyers their seventh straight loss. The Flyers (83 points) had been in third place in the Metropolitan Division, but now they're on the outside, just like the Wings.

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That's because earlier in the day, former Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 31 saves to help the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning and reach 83 points, moving into the second wild-card berth. The Penguins — who host the Wings on Thursday — have five games left.

The Flyers sit just below the Penguins now. The Washington Capitals, who were idle Saturday, are next, with 82 points and six games left. The Wings also have 82 points but the Capitals have 28 regulation victories to Detroit's 26, which is the first tie-breaker. The Wings and Capitals play Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena.

The New York Islanders won Saturday to get a better foothold on third place in the Metropolitan with 85 points.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings trail 3 teams for East's last wild-card playoff spot